Which object has the greatest kinetic energy?
a. a locomotive engine with a mass of 205,000 kg moving 5 m/s
b. a fast pitched baseball with a mass of .5 kg moving at 46.9 m/s
c. a truck with a mass of 3,500 kg moving at 30 m/s
d. a person with a mass of 73 kg running 6 m/s
To determine which object has the greatest kinetic energy, we can use the formula for kinetic energy:
Kinetic Energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2
Let's calculate the kinetic energy of each object:
a. Kinetic Energy = 1/2 * 205,000 kg * (5 m/s)^2 = 2562500 Joules
b. Kinetic Energy = 1/2 * 0.5 kg * (46.9 m/s)^2 = 3271.175 Joules
c. Kinetic Energy = 1/2 * 3,500 kg * (30 m/s)^2 = 1,575,000 Joules
d. Kinetic Energy = 1/2 * 73 kg * (6 m/s)^2 = 788.4 Joules
From the calculations, we can see that the locomotive engine (a) has the greatest kinetic energy with 2,562,500 Joules.